


Those Zoness Nights

by taishige



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-10
Updated: 2008-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-05 22:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/411736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taishige/pseuds/taishige
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One lonely night finds Krystal at a small Zoness pub, where she has a chance meeting with a certain wolf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Zoness Nights

Krystal wasn't one to drink much. She enjoyed a glass of champagne, or maybe even wine, but nothing more than that, usually. She thought it to be in bad taste to do so, for if there was one thing she hated dealing with, it was someone who was highly intoxicated. Maybe this entire mindset was due her being raised on a planet without any sort of alcohol. Now that she had been thrust out into the modernized world, she still tended to feel a bit out of place.

Especially here.

She looked around herself, taking in the view of the small pub she'd just stepped into. Not exactly the homiest of places: the lights were rather dim, letting off dull, buzzing noises, and the entire place smelled dank, almost bordering on rancid. She couldn't help the small grimace that rose to her face as she eyed a few of the huddled figures situated about the place.

_You're the one who decided to come here, you know. There's still a chance to back out._

But she didn't. She couldn't let herself. Keeping this in mind, she began taking slow steps towards the bar itself, her eyes glancing back and forth. A few heads had turned at her entrance, but no one seemed altogether too interested. That was a relief. She noticed that towards the end of the bar there were a number of empty stools, so she began to head in that direction. She wasn't much in the mood for talking to any tipsy, lecherous truckers or mercenaries tonight.

As she sat down on one of the highly uncomfortable stools, she saw the bartender glance up from the mug he was polishing. He was an older-looking dog, wrinkles lining his forehead. Not really sure what to do, she simply sat there, looking down at the rough, wooden countertop in front of her.

After a few moments, the bartender lazily put down the mug and cloth he was holding and meandered over, looking at her over the rim of his glasses.

"S'not often we see young, pretty things like you around here."

It took her a few seconds before she returned his gaze, suddenly feeling a bit shy. She finally gave him a small smile before shrugging her shoulders. "Just looking for a place to get away, I guess."

This resulted in a small chuckle from the dog as he slowly pushed his glasses up further on his snout. "You've come to the right place then. This here's about as 'away' as you can get in these parts." As his laughter subsided, he began wiping his hands off on the apron he was wearing. "What then can I do ya for?"

Krystal tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Would it be too much to ask for a glass of scotch?"

The bartender's eyebrows lifted slightly at this before giving a small grin. "Sure thing."

She watched him walk off towards the other end of the bar. Not quite knowing what to do with herself now, she proceeded to lean one of her elbows down on the counter, resting her chin in her hand. She couldn't help the small sigh that escaped her mouth.

It had been a tiring day, that was for sure.

She'd never been a huge fan of Zoness to begin with. Maybe it was the environment – she'd never been much of one for the water, or maybe it was the general attitude put off by many of its residents. Hell, it could even simply be that _something_  seemed to go wrong every time they came here, and this time had been no exception.

It had been the fifth time she'd told Fox about the strange, rapping noise coming from the heater in her room, and he'd still done nothing about it. She really shouldn't have been surprised when it finally gave out, blanketing her room in an icy chill that was almost beyond the comfort level.

And then Katt had shown up. Oh, don't get her started on Katt. It had been fine when she merely focused on Falco, but Krystal couldn't help but feel a bit perturbed as she watched the pink feline make moves on Fox as well. And Fox, oh Fox, being the good guy that he was, simply joked back, smiling the whole time.

Of course he couldn't see why she was angry. He couldn't see anything! He was so oblivious.

After a while, she just couldn't take it anymore and had left the Great Fox, venturing out on her own to explore the streets of Daton, where they'd made port.

A glass clunked down on the counter in front of her, snapping her out of her reverie. She glanced up towards the old bartender as he gave her a kind smile.

"Ya look like you've seen better days."

Krystal reached out to take the glass. "You could say that again." She brought it to her muzzle, grimacing a bit as she let the drink drizzle down her throat. She tried her best not to let her distaste show, though.

When she didn't say anything more for a few moments, the dog took it as a hint that she wasn't much up for talking, and ducked his head down. "If ya need anything else, just give me a holler." Krystal nodded, giving him a smile to know she was appreciative, and then he went back to his mug-polishing.

Once more alone, Krystal stared down at her drink. She couldn't help but wonder how some people actually enjoyed drinking this stuff. It tasted so horrible! Perhaps she wasn't doing something right… or maybe she just needed to drink more. Letting her eyebrows droop, she brought the glass once more to her mouth to take another drink.

The sounds of the pub were beginning to meld into one as she sat there. Men's voices from further away had become indecipherable murmurs, the buzzing of the lights had turned into one long drone, the slow creaking of the wooden supports were beginning to lull her into a rather relaxed state… she was once again leaning forward with her head resting in her head.

She was actually rather surprised at how relaxed she felt. She thought for sure she'd be more than a bit jumpy and nervous at being all by herself off the beaten path, and in a pub, no less. They weren't exactly her normal hang-out spots. But sitting there, the soft, almost dark light above her emitting a comforting warmth, she couldn't help but feel rather at home.

She took another drink from her scotch. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she had first thought.

A small screech to her right signaled that the door was being opened, but she didn't even bother to look, her eyes now tracing the small grooves in the wooden countertop. She let her tail gently swish back and forth behind her stool, mimicking the back and forward movement of her feet.

Her ears registered the sound of footsteps on the floor, but she didn't really hear them. She did, however, notice as they stopped rather close to her, letting her eyebrows narrow in the middle of taking another drink.

"Well, look who it is."

She definitely recognized that voice. Setting her glass back down with as much dignity as she could, she turned towards the sound to find her first instincts towards the newcomer's identity to be correct.

"Hello, Wolf."

The esteemed Star Wolf leader had his hands on his hips, glaring at her with his one good eye as he slowly chewed on his bottom lip. He obviously seemed displeased with her appearance.

"I'd never have expected someone like you to come poking their nose around in a place like this."

"I've just as much right to go where I please as anyone else." As if to further her point, she turned back towards the counter, taking the glass in her hand.

For a second, Wolf didn't say anything, just watching the back of her head. Finally, a bit huffily, he moved to the stool next to her. "What, the banquets back on the Great Fox not good enough for you? Ya had to come down here and spoil all the rest of our meals with your 'holier-than-thou' attitude too?"

Krystal refused to look at him, slowly swirling her drink. "Berate me all you want, Wolf. I don't really care at this point. Don't you have some small, helpless animal somewhere to shoot down? Or weren't you paid enough to prey on the innocent lately?"

At this, Wolf's eye opened in surprise for a moment before becoming even more furrowed than before. "Bitch! So that's what I get for saving your guys' asses, huh?" He was a good three inches off the seat of his stool, leaning forward towards the female fox. "No respect, I get absolutely  _no_  respect!"

She finally turned towards him, her face showing an equal amount of anger. "Well, maybe if you'd learn to control that mouth of yours and start showing  _other_ people some respect, you might start earning some of your own!"

Wolf gritted his teeth, not saying anything – not even moving for a moment. Finally, he raised his hand in a heated gesture and brought his fist down hard on the countertop. "Bartender!"

He was there in a flash, obviously used to this kind of thing. The kind, tired expression never left the dog's face. "How can I help ya?"

"Get me a gin and tonic, will ya?" Wolf's eye hadn't left Krystal until now, as he turned his legs in towards the countertop in a huff.

With a quick nod, the bartender left, off to prepare the requested drink. A rather awkward silence settled between the two canines left at the bar, Krystal returning to staring down at her drink and Wolf's tail twitching a bit erratically as sat with his arms crossed.

The silence continued until the bartender returned with the drink, placing it on the table in front of Wolf, who simply eyed it for a few moments. Krystal watched him from the corner of her eyes as he reached forward to take the glass in both hands, downing the entire contents in almost one gulp. She took this opportunity to take another sip from her own drink, swirling the remaining ice in the glass a bit before setting it back down.

"You know, Wolf-"

" _What?_ " His voice came out in an angry bark.

Krystal immediately felt herself become infuriated once more. "Well, if you're going to be like that, then I don't know why I should even try! I sometimes wonder if you can even  _have_  a civil conversation!"

Wolf backed down almost instantly, the anger leaving his face. A bit sheepishly, he turned away, refusing to look at her.

Krystal continued to glare at the side of his head, her lips pushed tightly against each other. After a few moments of this, she turned her head swiftly back towards the bar. "I was simply going to comment on the coincidence of both of us even being on the same planet at the same time, let alone the same back-alley pub. Apparently, however, you don't seem at all interested in holding any kind of conversation with me."

The lupine was now staring at his empty glass with a rather frustrated look on his face. He was hunched over, arms stuck snugly across each other. He watched the bartender wordlessly walk over to place another full glass in front of him.

"It's true."

Krystal's ears perked up. "Hm?"

"I said it's  _true._ " Wolf's voice went up in volume a bit before once more retreating in on itself. "It is a coincidence."

She watched him reach forward to take the newly filled glass that had been offered to him, her features losing some of their hardened edges. He drank the next one slower than the first, but he still had it finished before he placed it back on the countertop.

Krystal shifted in her seat so she could cross one leg over the other, letting her arms come up to cross as well. "What  _are_  you doing on Zoness? Is the rest of Star Wolf here with you?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, they're here…" Wolf glanced at her for a moment as he said this before he returned to staring in front of him. "Panther was booking us into a motel when I left… not really sure where Leon went off to. I think he said something about 'collecting dues from an old acquaintance', whatever  _that_  means." He let one finger come up to swirl about in a circle motion as he said this.

She wasn't sure if he was going to continue or not, so she didn't say anything at first. When it seemed like he had reverted back to somewhere in his mind, she once again opened her mouth to speak. "But what are you  _doing_ here _?_ "

"Oh, here? On Zoness? Well, you've gotta get out of space sometime, you know? I mean, what are  _you_  doing here?"

Krystal raised her eyebrows almost in a sign of agreement. "Pretty much the same reason, I guess. Plus, we'd been having a few malfunctions aboard the ship."

Wolf gave a short laugh. "Heh, kinda odd to see you down in a place like  _this_ , though. Woulda thought you'd be spending time out with your dearest  _Fox_."

She couldn't miss the animosity in his tone.

With a small swirl of her drink, she brought it to her mouth once more, this time finishing it off. She set it back on the counter with a soft thud, hearing the ice clink in place. It was almost a good two minutes before she finally spoke up again.

"You know… as much as I'd like to say otherwise, there's nothing going on between Fox and me."

Wolf's ears twitched, his head jerking up from its lowered position. "Really?" He let his good eye open wide for a second before quickly righting himself, raising his shoulders haughtily. "I mean… why should I care about you and that stupid vulpine?"

Krystal merely looked at him, amusement clearly showing in her eyes as one corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "Wolf…"

He was looking at her nervously now. "W-what?"

"You don't have to hide it."

"Hide what? I don't know what you're talking about!  _Bartender!_ " He quickly turned back towards the counter, obviously uncomfortable.

Just as the bartender had made his way back over to their end of the bar, Krystal let herself lean forward, holding her head up with the back of her hand. "Your crush on Fox."

Wolf instantly turned beet red, completely frozen. The bartender stood in front of him, the ever-present smile still on his face.

"Yes?"

A bead of sweat ran down Wolf's forehead. "I… I, er… I, uh…"

"He'd love a refill, if you could." Krystal couldn't keep the grin off of her face. The two of them watched the old dog walk away, one obviously suffering much more discomfort than the other.

She didn't say anything, simply watching him fidget. She was enjoying this too much to ruin the moment.

Wolf had his head lowered in embarrassment, his face still a bit flushed. Finally, he brought one hand up to idly scratch at his nose. "How… how did you know?"

At this, Krystal let her eyes turn skyward, letting out a small sigh. "Wolf, I'm a woman. I'm fairly good at picking up on these things." She couldn't help the slightly evil grin that spread across her face. "Plus, you aren't exactly the most subtle of people."

Wolf's eye opened as big as a saucer, which caused Krystal to laugh out loud, hiding her face in her hand. "Does… does he  _know?_ "

It took a few moments before Krystal could stifle her laughter, and she almost started up again when she looked at the positively panicked look on Wolf's face. "No, no, no…" She waved her hand in front of her. "He's the most oblivious thing in the world, bless his heart. He doesn't even register any of  _my_ advances, let alone any of the small signs  _you've_  been giving off."

The tension in Wolf's frame eased away, and he sunk back onto his stool, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Well, that's  _one_  good piece of news today."

The bartender was back, this time with two drinks. He set one in front of Wolf and one in front of Krystal, who nodded in thanks as she took a hold of hers. The two had once again settled into silence, though this one slightly more comfortable than the previous ones, as they drank from their respective glasses.

"So… I'm really that obvious… am I? I mean, to you, at least…"

The expressions on his face continued to amuse her. He looked so… what was it? Hopeful? Innocent? Inquiring?

"Wolf, when I look at you, I see the same feelings that I've been harboring myself for some time now. You just have a…" She had to pause to think of the word she was searching for. "… less  _experienced_  way of dealing with them."

Wolf's eye narrowed. "Less experienced, what does that mean?"

She was once again waving her hand in front of her. "It's not a criticism, hear me out!" She let out a small chuckle. "Look, if Fox were here right now, what would you do?"

"If Fox were  _here_?" He looked towards the ceiling in concentration, scratching the top of his nose. It took a few seconds before his face began to flush. "Well, I… er… I would…"

"Exactly my point!" Krystal had her finger up in the air as if lecturing. "You wouldn't know what to do! Thus, you would do the only thing you could think of to do, which would probably include making some snide, derogatory comment as a defense mechanism, promoting some kind of argument between the two of you, which would result in both of you stomping off to your respective ships feeling none too happy about yourselves."

Wolf simply stared at her for a moment, a rather disbelieving look on his face. "…how… did you do that?"

Krystal took a sip from her drink. "Wolf, all I have to do is look at your past actions to figure you out. When you don't know how to handle something, you tend to lash out."

"Yeah…" Wolf turned his gaze towards the counter. "I guess you've got a point…"

She watched him for a few seconds before speaking up again. "You know, if you'd just let yourself sit down and talk to him… I'm sure both of you would learn a lot from each other."

Wolf appeared as if thinking quite hard about something. "I… it's just… I don't really know if what I'm feeling is right… like… I'm constantly questioning myself. And then… then when I see him, it doesn't even matter, but I can't seem to form anything coherent to say, so I instinctively… just… and then  _gah!_ I don't know what he's thinking! He gives me that look and I'm all like, I can't even  _think_ , and he just stands there looking all attractive like he usually does…" He was positively rambling now, his hands making wild gestures in the air.

Krystal watched all of this, grinning. She brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a small chuckle. "Wolf."

"…and then I start reading into every little thing he does. Like, what did  _that_ look mean? Is he trying to tell me something? And some of his comments, like, they could be taken so many different ways, and one part of me wishes it meant something more, while the other is telling me I'm being such a stupid idiot and I should just quit all this bullshit-"

" _Wolf._ " This time she leaned forward to place a hand on his arm, producing a startled reaction in the lupine.

"W-what?" He looked a bit flustered.

"Maybe that's just it. You're thinking about it too much."

He looked lost for a second. "But… how do I  _not_  think about it? Sometimes… sometimes it's all I  _think_ about!"

"You've just got to relax! That's why it bothers you so much. Just be yourself when you're around him."

"Be… myself…"

She nodded. "Though it may take a little soul-searching on your part first. At least that's what I'm gathering from this conversation."

Wolf was swirling his own drink now, watching it rather intensely. He didn't say anything for a while, his tail flitting back and forth behind him.

"What do  _you_  want, Wolf?"

He continued to remain silent, now seemingly deep in thought. Krystal kept her eyes focused on his frame - at least he seemed a bit more relaxed now.

"I want…" He was biting his lower lip now. "I want…  _gah_ , this is gonna sound so stupid, I can't!" He scrunched his eyes shut, turning his head away.

Krystal laughed. "Oh, come on! Tell me, tell me! I promise I won't laugh or anything."

He turned to face her, the expression he wore one she didn't think she'd ever see on his face. He looked, well, the only thing she could think to compare it to was a young school girl about to divulge to her best friend what had happened on her date last night. Embarrassed, sheepish, and yet… slightly giddy.

He brought his hands in front of his chest, pushing his index fingers together nervously. "I… well, he could take me somewhere nice to eat, you know. Nice food… something good… we could talk, and then… then maybe… get a few drinks… we could go back to his place…" His face was getting more and more red as he spoke. "…I, well… we… maybe…  _ack!_  I can't believe I'm telling you this!" He was now covering his face with his hands, hunched over towards the counter.

"I can't believe it!" She gave a short laugh and drank the last from her glass. "The great Wolf, esteemed leader of Star Wolf, is really just a hopeless romantic. I truly can't believe it."

He uncovered his face to look over at her. "Yeah, well… well what's wrong with that? And I thought you said you wouldn't laugh!"

This only made her laugh again. "Wolf, Wolf, I'm not laughing at you, I'm simply trying to take all this in, I guess." She wiped a tear away from one of her eyes. "I mean, even you have to think that this whole situation is a bit humorous."

His eyes traveled downward for a second, thinking, before a small smile began to break out on his face. He let out a soft chuckle of his own. "I guess you're right. It  _is_  pretty funny…"

Krystal crossed her arms, cocking her head to the side. "And there's nothing wrong with that, either. Just because you're some kind of tough mercenary, you still have feelings like everyone else. And you just… just… you look so funny sitting there getting all flustered over a  _dinner_." She let herself giggle once more.

"H-hey!" But he was laughing too, now, both of them taking in the irony of their conversation.

After a few minutes, Wolf gave a small sigh, letting himself slump on his stool. A pleased smile remained on his face as he sat in comfortable silence. There was a clink of glasses from behind the two of them – apparently someone else had come in to join the group of men at one of the other tables. The bartender was now helping someone else further down at the bar.

"So… what  _is_ it like… getting to live so close to him all the time?"

Krystal gave a small roll of her eyes. "Not as fun as you might think, actually. He can be a bit of annoyance… well, more of a lovable idiot, really. He tries so hard in everything he does, but he just…" She laughed. "…maybe that's one of the reasons why I like him, though."

"I know what you mean! He's so determined all the time… it just makes me laugh. And then he gets that  _look_  where he's all like, "I'll save you, miss", off to be somebody's hero."

"Exactly!" Krystal grinned. "It's probably going to cause him so much trouble someday, too. He always bites off more than he can chew."

Wolf chuckled before trailing off a bit. "…yea. Maybe… maybe that's one of the reasons why  _I_ like him. He's totally the opposite of me. Totally willing to go that extra mile, even for a complete stranger." His eyebrows furrowed a bit. "I can't even seem to take an extra  _step_ to help out members of my own  _team_."

Krystal turned until she was facing him fully, her arms gripping the edge of the stool for support. "I'm sure you don't give yourself enough credit…"

"No, really, I don't. Just… look at me now, even. I don't even know where they are! Panther's probably all by himself back at the motel with nothing to do, Leon could be two cities away for all I know, and here I am, just kicking it back at a bar, not even caring…"

"We all have to get away sometimes, Wolf. I left my team too."

"But… this seems to happen  _every_  time we port somewhere." He idly scratched at the fur on top of his head. "I feel like I need to change something, that I should do something different, but I never do. I don't know whether it's because I don't _know_ what to do, or if I just don't  _want_ to change."

Krystal let the words sink in for a bit, trying to conjure up a reply in her head. She swung her legs back and forth beneath her stool.

"I think… it comes back to what we were talking about before, actually. You need to talk to them, Wolf. Let them know what you're feeling."

Wolf gave a small sigh. "Yeah… I know. It's just so hard sometimes. I have trouble… talking to people…"

Krystal felt her eyebrows rise. "We're talking right now."

"Yeah, well, you're a… a…" Wolf didn't finish his sentence.

"I'm a what?" Krystal let out a short laugh.

The lupine ducked his head. "… a  _girl_."

This amused Krystal quite thoroughly. She tried to look sternly down at her companion, but couldn't stop the smile that kept trying to creep back onto her face. "And what's that got to do with anything, mister?"

"I-I don't know! I just find that I can… talk to you easier, I guess." Wolf looked a bit uncomfortable, shifting back and forth on his stool.

Krystal let herself ponder on this thought for a second, bringing a hand up to scratch under her chin. "Well, perhaps that's simply because we've got quite a bit in common." She bit her lip. "Maybe… maybe you just need to find something you have in common with your teammates. Besides the obvious, of course."

Wolf cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, come on, you've been with them how long now? I'm sure that you can find something that you all can talk about. And from there, it'll only get easier to talk to them about other things as well."

Wolf leaned forward to rest his elbows on the counter, holding his head in his hands. "I guess I could try…"

Krystal gave him a playful shove on the shoulder. "You'll do fine, I know you will. I'm sure that someone who can take on a whole onslaught of enemy fighters at once can brave the uncertainty of a simple conversation."

A small chuckle came from the lupine's throat. "It does seem pretty silly, doesn't it?"

Krystal merely smiled, resituating herself on her stool. She let her eyes wander a bit as she took in some of the new patrons that had made themselves at home in the pub. As she did so, she also caught sight of a clock on the wall near the door that she hadn't seen before. Taking in the placement of the two hands on it, she couldn't help but feel her heart jump for a second.

"Oh dear, is it really that late already?"

"Hm?" Wolf turned towards her, and after seeing her attention fixed on the clock, changed his direction towards that instead. "Christ, it  _has_  gotten late. Panther's probably wondering if I got mugged in an alleyway or somethin'."

Krystal got down from her stool, smoothing out the fabric of her pants as she did so. "My teammates are probably thinking similar thoughts about me, though perhaps not quite as violent. It doesn't help that I didn't tell them where I was going."

Once Wolf had gotten down as well, the two headed towards the other end of the bar where an old register sat, situated amongst a conglomeration of glasses, mugs and pitchers. The bartender, who had been taking some drinks to a table across the pub, saw them walking and began heading in that direction as well, wiping his hands off on a cloth he'd been carrying.

"You folks headin' out?"

Krystal nodded, making a noise of affirmation. Wolf merely grunted.

Once the dog had made it behind the counter, he began punching buttons furiously on the register, tiny dings and clangs coming from its rusted keys.

"Hey, put hers on mine."

Krystal looked up in surprise at the lupine's request. "Wolf, you don't have to do that."

He merely shrugged, giving her a grin. "I figure it's the least I can do."

She didn't say anything for a moment, but finally returned the smile, giving him a little nod. "Thanks."

Once the bartender had rung up all the drinks and Wolf had handed him a number of bills from the haggard wallet he'd pulled from who-knows-where, the two of them made their way to the door, feeling the slight chill of the night air as they stepped outside. It had grown quite a bit darker from when Krystal had first walked into the pub, and now the only lights were coming from the door behind them and a few small streetlamps situated further down the path.

Wolf swatted at a small bug that flew past as they began to walk towards the port. It wasn't altogether too long of a walk, though Krystal was suddenly glad that she had someone else there, for she wasn't entirely sure she could find her way back by herself.

"Well, Wolf. I had fun tonight. It was nice."

Wolf had his thumbs hooked through his belt loops as he walked. "Yeah, me too. It… it was nice talking to someone."

They continued on in silence as they walked, passing a few others as they made their way towards the more populated part of the city. They crossed a few bridges, the boards creaking under their weight, and past a number of other bars, their lights still shining brightly against the night sky, the sound of voices and the clinking of glasses emanating from within.

Krystal knew they were almost back when she saw the dark outline of the Great Fox come into view. Daton wasn't one of the most modernized cities on Zoness, so all ships coming in were docked outside. It was actually a rather nice change from the usual stark, gray garages most city ports offered.

"I suppose we should probably say goodbye now." She slowed her steps until she'd stopped, now fairly close to the ramp that would take her back into her ship.

"Yeah, the motel we're staying at's just a block over that-a-way." Wolf made a half-hearted gesture towards the buildings not much further.

Krystal gave him a small smile. "We should do this again sometime."

"Totally! You're like… the sister I've never had, or somethin'." Wolf chuckled to himself.

This caused Krystal to laugh as well. "I could say the same thing about you."

Wolf laughed for a few more seconds before abruptly stopping. "Wait a minute, hey!"

The vulpine brought a hand up to cover her mouth, now giggling much louder. "I'm just joking, just joking!"

Wolf scratched beneath his nose, grinning as well. "I guess you  _do_  kinda have a point, so I can't get too angry…"

The sound of footsteps on metal came from off to their side and both turned, surprised, towards the noise.

"Krystal? Is that you?"

The underlights of the Great Fox abruptly turned on, creating a bright glare across the entire complex. Both Krystal and Wolf had to shield their eyes from the harsh light.

Once her eyes had adjusted, though she still had to squint a bit, she was able to see the outline of a fox walk a short ways down the ramp.

"Oh Fox, is that you?"

"Krystal, we've been wondering where you were all day! And… who are you… is that  _Wolf?_ "

Krystal turned to look at the wolf in question, his expression reminding her of a deer caught in headlights.

Fox was all the way down the ramp now, making his way over to the two of them. He was wearing his usual attire, sans the jacket, though the fur on his head look a bit mussed, as if he'd been sleeping not too long ago. He looked utterly confused by the sight that was in front of him.

"Wolf and I were just taking a break to catch up on some old times."

"Old times? What old times? You guys barely know each other!" Fox had his hands on his hips now. "And what the hell is he even doing here, anyway?"

Krystal looked back to Wolf, who still wasn't saying anything. She gave him a quick shove with her elbow, letting out a laugh. "It's quite a coincidence, actually. Star Wolf just happened to be here at the same time as us!"

"Y… yea! We docked earlier this morning. Zoness, er… Zoness was… lots of fish in Zoness this time of year!" Wolf's face turned into a grimace as soon as he'd finished, silently cursing his own stupidity for the utter failure that last statement had been.

Fox gave him the strangest look at that, not really sure what to make of the flustered Star Wolf leader.

"Yes, yes, lots of… fish. That's right, Wolf." Krystal laughed nervously before turning her head to give an abrupt cough. She had to think of something…

"I'm not sure I understa-"

"We were actually just talking about you, Fox." She hurriedly brought herself back into the conversation.

Fox raised his eyebrows. "You were?"

"We were?" Wolf looked at her, a bit panicked.

"Oh yes, quite a nice conversation, actually. In fact, Wolf had just been saying how much he would enjoy a nice dinner with you, you know… catch up, the like. He wanted to help diminish the animosity our two teams had garnered for each other."

Wolf shot her a look of pure hatred.

"…really?" Fox now stood there, slightly stupefied, his arms just hanging by his side. After a moment, he took a step towards Wolf, eyeing the lupine with his eyebrows narrowed. He leaned in close, studying the other's face.

The sudden close proximity of the orange vulpine caused Wolf to instantly tense up, his arms and legs locking. He felt a flush begin spreading across his face as a few beads of sweat made their way down the side of his head.

"That seems a bit strange coming from you… no ulterior motives?" Fox still wasn't convinced.

Seeing that Wolf was still frozen to the spot, Krystal quickly stepped towards the two, placing one hand on Wolf's shoulder. "Of course not, Fox. He just really wants to…  _talk_  with you." She did her best not to let out a small laugh that was begging to escape.

Apparently, this seemed to work for Fox, because he finally brightened, a smile emerging on his face. "Well, I guess that'd be fine! I'd really love that, Wolf."

Wolf felt his face grow three times warmer. That smile was just too much. "I've, uh… I've gotta go…" And then he was off, walking quickly away from the circle of light they were standing in.

Fox shot a rather confused look in his direction, before bringing this same expression towards Krystal. The female fox finally let out the laugh she'd been keeping in, holding her sides as she leaned forward a bit.

Before Wolf could get too far, though, she got up on her toes and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting after him. "Tomorrow night at six, ok?" She smiled in the direction he'd gone, not needing a response to know that he'd heard.

When she returned to her normal standing position, she looked to see Fox still standing with that same confused expression on his face. Cocking her head with a grin, she began making her way towards the Great Fox. "Come on, Fox, let's head inside. I'm bushed."

After she'd taken a few steps, she turned around to find Fox still staring in the direction Wolf had gone. She placed her hands on her hips, tapping one foot against the metal of the ramp. "Are you coming, Fox?"

Snapping out of his reverie, he turned to look at her. "…that was weird."

"I'm sure it'll be fun!"

Fox didn't say anything as he began walking up the ramp after her. When he'd caught up, he turned to face her, cocking an eyebrow. "It was still weird."

She gave him an innocent-looking shrug, hands behind her back. "Must be the Zoness air."

The two walked inside the large ship, the taller one pressing the button to lift the ramp up behind them. It settled into its closed position with a resounding click.

After a few moments, their footsteps were no longer audible, silence settling in around the Great Fox, the buzzing of insects soon the only sound left. The air seemed to shimmer with what would become dew the following morning.

"Damn, I forgot to turn off the lights."

 


End file.
